Systems conventionally provided for control of small engines, such as engines of displacement less than about six hundred cm.sup.3 or of output less than about twenty-five horsepower as commonly used in utility applications or in generator sets are typically dominated by mechanical control mechanisms, such as complex mechanical governors, linkages, carburetors, throttle bodies, valves and shafts, spring mechanisms, and cable assemblies. Such complex hardware may be difficult to calibrate, may require repeated service or adjustment, may be expensive to manufacture, may be unacceptably sensitive to changes in engine operating environment, and may offer limited controllability. Furthermore, such conventional control may not be easily adapted to respond to evolving engine performance and emissions expectations.